Neag School to Welcome First-Ever Dean’s Doctoral Scholars This Fall

Deans Doctoral Scholars finalists meet with Neag faculty on February 8, 2015, at the Rome Commons Ballroom in Storrs. Sian Charles-Harris speaks with Associate Dean Sandra Chafouleas.
Deans Doctoral Scholars finalists meet with Neag faculty on February 8, 2015, at the Rome Commons Ballroom in Storrs. Sian Charles-Harris speaks with Associate Dean Sandra Chafouleas. (Photo Credit: Stefanie Dion Jones)

Come fall, eight promising new Ph.D. candidates will arrive on the UConn Storrs campus knowing that they will have four years of fully funded support, thanks to an innovative new program instituted this past year by Neag School of Education Dean Richard Schwab.

Launched in 2014, the inaugural Dean’s Doctoral Scholar program invited applications from aspiring doctoral candidates with an interest in pursuing research, under one or more Neag School faculty experts, in at least one of the School’s four strategic areas of focus: STEM education; creativity and innovation; educator quality and effectiveness; or equity and social justice.

By the end of the year, the program had attracted 128 high-quality applicants from across the country. Ultimately, 10 outstanding candidates were offered placement in the program, with eight accepting by the April 15, 2015, deadline.

“We are tremendously excited to offer support to our first-ever pool of Dean’s Doctoral Scholars in the Neag School,” says Dean Schwab. “These eight promising students stood out as outstanding candidates, and this is the sort of rare and invaluable opportunity they deserve. I know our faculty are looking forward to guiding them over the next four years to become leaders in their chosen field.”

Britney Jones, Dean's Doctoral Scholar finalist
Dean’s Doctoral Scholars finalist Britney Jones meets with Neag School faculty at the February reception. (Photo Credit: Stefanie Dion Jones)

The eight incoming scholars will receive full tuition and a stipend through their four years of doctoral study. In addition to earning a doctoral degree from UConn, they will have the opportunity to present at nationwide conferences, publish research in highly regarded journals, and work alongside faculty across the Neag School, in the departments of curriculum and instruction, educational psychology, and educational leadership.

The eight Dean’s Doctoral Scholars include candidates from as far away as Stone Mountain, Ga., and Puerto Rico. One of the DDS recipients is a University of Connecticut alum, Taylor Koriakin ’11 (CLAS).

The Dean’s Office is proud to announce the names of each of the incoming Dean’s Doctoral Scholars:

  • Nneka Arinze – Stone Mountain, Ga.
  • Latanya Brandon – Bridgeport, Conn.
  • Sian Charles-Harris – New York, N.Y.
  • William Estepar-Garcia – Puerto Rico
  • Britney Jones – Elmont, N.Y.
  • Taylor Koriakin – Balitmore, Md.
  • Jeremy Landa – New Haven, Conn.
  • Tiffany Polk – Milford, Conn.

To apply for the Dean’s Doctoral Scholar Program, visit s.uconn.edu/neagdds.